阅读说明：本技术 可视压接监控 (Visual crimp monitoring ) 是由 M·布劳恩 F·劳思克 于 2020-03-16 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种确保和/或检查压接质量的方法,其中使用用于压接线缆(4)与接触套管(3)的压接机(1),使用用于获取和/或记录接触套管(3)的第一图像数据的第一光学传感器(61),并使用评估电子器件(5),包括以下步骤：由第一光学传感器(61)获取接触套管(3)的第一图像数据；由评估电子器件(5)对第一光学传感器(61)的第一图像数据与预定接触套管(3)的第一参考数据进行第一比较,并对第一比较检查是否存在预定第一标准；如果满足预定第一标准,则输出第一信号；其中检测第一图像数据、第一比较、检查第一标准以及输出第一信号是在压接线缆(4)与接触套管(3)之前进行。本发明还涉及一种适用于执行上述方法的压接机(1)。(The invention relates to a method for ensuring and/or checking the quality of a crimp, wherein a crimper (1) is used for crimping a cable (4) to a contact sleeve (3), a first optical sensor (61) is used for acquiring and/or recording first image data of the contact sleeve (3), and evaluation electronics (5) are used, comprising the following steps: acquiring first image data of the contact sleeve (3) by a first optical sensor (61); a first comparison of the first image data of the first optical sensor (61) with first reference data of a predetermined contact sleeve (3) by the evaluation electronics (5) and checking the first comparison for the presence of a predetermined first criterion; outputting a first signal if a predetermined first criterion is met; wherein the detecting the first image data, the first comparing, the checking the first criterion and the outputting the first signal are performed before crimping the cable (4) and the contact sleeve (3). The invention also relates to a crimping machine (1) suitable for carrying out the method.)

1. A method for ensuring and/or checking the quality of a crimp using a crimper (1) for crimping a cable (4) with a contact sleeve (3), and using a first optical sensor (61) for acquiring and/or recording first image data of the contact sleeve (3), and using evaluation electronics (5),

the method comprises the following steps:

acquiring first image data of the contact sleeve (3) by the first optical sensor (61);

the evaluation electronics (5) carry out a first comparison of the first image data of the first optical sensor (61) with first reference data of a predetermined contact sleeve (3) and check whether a predetermined first criterion exists for the first comparison;

outputting a first signal if the predetermined first criterion is met;

wherein the acquiring of the first image data, the first comparing, the checking of the first criterion and the outputting of the first signal are performed before the crimping of the cable (4) to the contact sleeve (3).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein,

the first image data acquired by the first optical sensor (61) are image data of an outer edge and an inner edge of the contact sleeve (3), wherein the inner edge surrounds a core of a cable (4) inserted into the contact sleeve (3).

3. A method for ensuring and/or checking the quality of a crimp using a crimper (1) for crimping a cable (4) with a contact sleeve (3) and using a second optical sensor (62) for acquiring and/or recording second image data of the cable (4) and using evaluation electronics (5),

the method comprises the following steps:

acquiring second image data of the cable (4) by the second optical sensor (62);

-the evaluation electronics (5) making a second comparison of second image data of the second optical sensor (62) with second reference data of a predetermined cable (4);

checking whether the second comparison has a predetermined second criterion;

outputting a second signal if the predetermined second criterion is met;

wherein the acquiring of the second image data, the second comparing, the checking of the second criterion and the outputting of the second signal are performed before the cable (4) is crimped with the contact sleeve (3).

4. Method according to claim 3, wherein image data of the inner edge of the insulating sheath of the cable (4) and/or of the outer edge of the core of the cable (4) provided with an insulating sheath are acquired by the second optical sensor (62).

5. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising the features of claim 3 or 4, wherein the first image data can also be compared with the second image data; and is

Can check whether the comparison has a predetermined further criterion; and wherein the one or more of the one or more,

if the further criterion is fulfilled, a further signal can be output.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein third image data of the contact sleeve (3) and the cable (4) are acquired and/or recorded using at least one third optical sensor (63), comprising the steps of:

acquiring third image data of the contact sleeve (3) and the cable (4) by the at least one third optical sensor (63);

-the evaluation electronics (5) make a third comparison of third image data of the third optical sensor (63) with third reference data;

checking whether a predetermined third criterion exists for the third comparison;

outputting a third signal if the predetermined third criterion is met;

wherein the acquiring of the third image data, the third comparing, the checking of the third criterion and the outputting of the third signal are performed after the crimping of the cable (4) to the contact sleeve (3).

7. Method according to claim 6, wherein longitudinal image data of at least one side view of the cable (4) crimped with the contact sleeve (3) is acquired by the at least one third optical sensor (63), wherein the third image data may be a single frame image and/or a video sequence.

8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7,

the first optical sensor (61) and/or the second optical sensor (62) are provided by means of a first camera and/or a second camera; and is

The at least one third optical sensor (63) is provided by means of at least one third camera and/or by means of a laser scanner.

9. Method for ensuring and/or checking the quality of a crimp using a crimper (1) for crimping a cable (4) with a contact sleeve (3) and using evaluation electronics (5), comprising the steps of:

selecting a preset cable (4) and a preset contact sleeve (3) to carry out preset crimping;

setting a suitable predetermined crimp height (H);

providing a predetermined stripping of the insulation of the appropriate cable (4);

the evaluation electronics (5) are programmed for the predetermined cable (4) and the predetermined contact sleeve (3), wherein first reference data and/or second reference data and/or third reference data are selected by the evaluation electronics from a plurality of predetermined first reference data and/or predetermined second reference data and/or predetermined third reference data;

the steps of performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The method of any one of claims 1 to 9,

the first signal and/or the second signal and/or the third signal triggers an idle state and/or a standby mode and/or an operating mode of the crimper; and/or

Displaying the first image data and/or the second image data and/or the third image data on a screen.

11. The method of any one of claims 1 to 10,

the first signal and/or the second signal and/or the third signal comprise a first parameter and/or a second parameter and/or a third parameter; and/or the evaluation electronics (5) comprise a fourth parameter and a fifth parameter for the programming of the predetermined cable (4) and the predetermined contact sleeve (3); wherein the content of the first and second substances,

in a method for checking the quality of the crimping of a cable (4) to a contact sleeve (3) using a sensor system (15, 14) for measuring the force (F) and the displacement (X) of a device for actuating and/or pressing a crimping apparatus (2) and evaluation electronics (5), the first and/or second and/or third and/or fourth and/or fifth parameters are taken into account by the evaluation electronics (5), wherein,

during crimping, force/displacement curves (G, G3, G4) are acquired and displayed on a screen, and conclusions are drawn about the crimp quality from the course of the force/displacement curves (G, G3, G4).

12. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the method for ensuring and/or checking crimp quality is used for a setback type crimping device, preferably a double mandrel crimping device, particularly preferably a four mandrel crimping device.

13. A crimping machine (1) having a screw conveyor (13) for feeding a plurality of contact sleeves (3) intended to be crimped with a cable (4), wherein the screw conveyor (13) has a feed rail (130) by means of which feed rail (130) the contact sleeves (3) are fed to the crimping machine (1) in a predetermined orientation, and wherein,

-providing a first optical sensor (61) at the supply rail (130) for acquiring first image data of the contact sleeve (3); and/or

A second optical sensor (62) is provided for acquiring second image data of the cable (4), wherein,

the crimping machine (1) has an insulation stripping device for stripping the insulation of a cable (4) intended to be crimped with a contact sleeve (3), and the crimping machine (1) has an opening (120) for manually feeding the cable (4) for stripping and subsequent crimping of the cable (4), wherein the second optical sensor (62) is provided at the opening (120); and wherein the one or more of the one or more,

at least one third optical sensor (63) can be arranged at the opening for capturing image data of the cable (4) pressed against the contact sleeve (3).

14. The crimper (1) according to claim 13,

the crimping machine (1) has a crimping device (2); wherein the content of the first and second substances,

the crimping device (2) is a retraction type crimping device, preferably a double-mandrel crimping device, particularly preferably a four-mandrel crimping device, and the contact sleeve (3) is a turning contact sleeve (3); and wherein the one or more of the one or more,

the crimper (1) is suitably configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a method for visual crimp monitoring and to a crimping device suitable for carrying out the method. The invention relates in particular to a method for ensuring and/or checking the quality of a crimp and to a device suitable for carrying out the method.

In crimping, the two components are connected to one another by plastic deformation under pressure by means of a forming tool. This achieves a crimp, i.e. a mechanical connection that is difficult to disengage, between the conductor and the connecting element, such as a plug or a bushing.

When establishing a crimp, a high quality crimp is required for a permanently stable mechanical and electrical connection between the crimped components. Poor quality crimps can be caused, among other things, by imperfections in the crimp blank and operational errors at the crimping apparatus, such as incorrectly adjusted crimp heights.

Quality assurance of the crimp connection is usually achieved by measuring the crimp depth, by optically evaluating microscopic images and/or by monitoring the force/displacement during crimping.

Background

Patent document WO 2012/110310 a1 proposes the above monitoring of the force/displacement during crimping. The crimp blank is here plastically deformed by the forming tool. In particular, when the forming die is returned, the force exerted by the forming die on the crimped blank and the displacement of the forming die transfer are measured by means of a sensor system. The change in displacement between the position of the maximum force and the position of the first force absence is used as an index of the elastic recovery of the crimp blank. This index is suggested as a measure of the quality of the produced crimp.

The method proposed in patent document WO 2012/110310 a1 is not suitable for determining possible causes of poor quality crimps.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a reliable and low-cost method for ensuring and/or checking the quality of a crimp and a device suitable for carrying out the method. The object of the invention is, inter alia, to provide a method for ensuring and/or checking the indentation crimp quality, in particular the quality of a turned (gedrehten) contact sleeve and cable, and in particular the quality of a quad-axial crimp.

The solution of the invention to achieve the above object is characterized by the features of the independent claims.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims and/or below.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, the invention relates in particular to a method for ensuring and/or checking the quality of a crimp, wherein a crimping machine for crimping a cable to a contact sleeve is used, wherein advantageously a first optical sensor for acquiring and/or recording first image data of the contact sleeve is used, and evaluation electronics adapted for evaluating the first image data are used, which can be connected to an electronic controller with signal and/or data technology. Suitably, the electronic controller may be a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC).

Suitably, a camera may be used as the first optical sensor. The camera has low cost, convenient installation and installation, ideal quality and favorable miniaturization as much as possible. The camera may for example be a CCD camera.

The cable for crimping with the contact sleeve can be, in particular, a single-core cable with an insulating sheath and a stranded wire with a plurality of individual wires. The contact sleeve may in particular be a turned contact sleeve.

In one step of the method, first image data of the contact sleeve are acquired by a first optical sensor, and then in a next step, the first image data of the first optical sensor are first compared by the evaluation electronics with first reference data of a predetermined contact sleeve. It is obvious that the first optical sensor is connected to the evaluation electronics in terms of signal and/or data technology.

Image and/or video data can be processed particularly quickly and reliably during appropriate software-supported post-processing and/or evaluation, artificial intelligence and similar image evaluation methods can also be taken into account. A software program suitable for this may be provided on the evaluation electronics.

In a next step, it is checked whether the first comparison has a predetermined first criterion, and then in a next step the first signal is output if the predetermined first criterion is fulfilled.

The first reference data may be, in particular, image data and/or dimensions of a predetermined contact sleeve available for the evaluation electronics.

The predetermined first criterion may in particular be a predetermined deviation between the first image data acquired by the first optical sensor and the first reference data.

For the comparison of the first image data with the first reference data (which may comprise image data and in particular dimensions), software suitable for object recognition and corresponding methods, such as in particular the hough transform, may suitably be used. This also applies to the method according to the second embodiment of the invention described below.

Suitably, the first signal may be, inter alia, an optical and/or acoustic signal and/or a control signal for bringing the crimper into a predetermined operation mode. The crimper may be turned off and/or stopped and/or put into an idle state and/or a standby mode and/or an operational mode.

Particularly advantageously, according to the invention, the acquisition of the first image data, the first comparison, the checking of the first criterion and the output of the first signal are carried out before crimping the cable with the contact sleeve. This advantageously eliminates inferior crimps caused by faulty and/or defective contact sleeves and/or contact sleeves that are not intended to be crimped with the cable and/or are not intended to be crimped at the set crimp height.

Accordingly, advantageously checking the first criterion before crimping can significantly reduce the waste of inferior crimps and also avoid taking undesirable unnecessary time for undesired crimps, and therefore the above method is particularly advantageous in terms of economic efficiency.

Suitably, first image data of an outer edge and an inner edge of the contact sleeve are acquired by the first optical sensor, wherein the inner edge of the contact sleeve surrounds a core of a cable inserted into the contact sleeve. The image data of the outer and inner edges of the contact sleeve can be acquired and evaluated particularly simply and reliably. In addition, the image data of the outer edge and in particular of the inner edge of the contact sleeve is particularly advantageous for the combination of the above-described first embodiment of the invention with the below-described second embodiment of the invention. The inner edge of the contact sleeve is the outer edge of the contact chamber accommodating the core of the stripped cable.

According to a second embodiment of the invention, the invention relates in particular to a method for ensuring and/or checking the quality of a crimp, wherein a crimping machine for crimping the cable with the contact sleeve is used, wherein advantageously a second optical sensor for acquiring and/or recording second image data of the cable is used, and evaluation electronics adapted for evaluating the second image data are used, which evaluation electronics can be connected to an electronic controller in terms of signal and/or data technology.

For the electronic control/evaluation electronics used in the second embodiment of the invention, the second optical sensor used, the cable and the contact sleeve, what has been said above applies correspondingly to the electronic control/evaluation unit, the first optical sensor, the cable and the contact sleeve described in the first embodiment of the invention.

In a method step of the second embodiment of the invention, second image data of the cable are acquired by the second optical sensor, and the evaluation electronics then carry out a second comparison of the second image data of the second optical sensor with second reference data of the predetermined cable. As in the first embodiment of the invention, the second optical sensor is connected to the evaluation electronics in terms of signal and/or data technology, and a suitable software program for evaluating the image data can be provided on the evaluation electronics.

In a next step it is checked whether the second comparison has a predetermined second criterion, and then in a next step the second signal is output if the predetermined second criterion is fulfilled.

As in the method according to the first embodiment of the invention described above, the second reference data described above may be, in particular, image data and/or dimensions of a predetermined cable available for the evaluation electronics.

The predetermined second criterion may in particular be a predetermined deviation between the second image data acquired by the second optical sensor and the second reference data.

As with the first signal described above, the second signal may be an optical and/or acoustic signal and/or may be a control signal to bring the crimper into a predetermined mode of operation, as appropriate. The crimper may be turned off and/or stopped and/or put into an idle state and/or a standby mode and/or an operational mode.

Particularly advantageously, according to the invention, the acquisition of the second image data, the performance of the second comparison, the checking of the second criterion and the output of the second signal are performed before crimping the cable and the contact sleeve. This advantageously prevents poor crimps caused by faulty and/or defective cables and/or cables that are not intended to be crimped with the contact sleeve and/or are not intended to be crimped at the set crimp height.

Hereby, advantageously checking the second criterion before crimping can significantly reduce the waste of inferior crimps and also avoid taking undesired, unnecessary time for undesired crimps, so that the above-described method according to the second embodiment of the invention also has a particular advantage in terms of economic efficiency.

Suitably, image data of an inner edge of the insulating sheath of the cable and/or an outer edge of the core in the cable provided with the insulating sheath and/or an outer edge of the insulating sheath of the cable is acquired by the second optical sensor. In particular, even in the case of a single-core cable having a litz wire with a plurality of individual wires, the acquisition and evaluation of image data, in particular of the edges of the core of the cable, is particularly simple and reliable.

In addition, the image data of the edge of the core of the cable is particularly advantageously combined with the first image data of the outer and inner edges of the contact sleeve of the first embodiment of the invention described above. This makes it possible to reliably check whether the cable intended for crimping matches the contact sleeve intended for crimping.

Accordingly, the invention particularly advantageously relates to a method for ensuring and/or checking the crimp quality, having the steps of the first embodiment of the invention described above and also having the steps of the second embodiment of the invention, wherein, where appropriate, a further comparison of the first image data with the second image data is also possible.

The further comparison may be checked for the presence of a predetermined further criterion and if the further criterion is fulfilled a further signal may be output. The further signal may be the above-mentioned optical and/or acoustic signal and/or control signal, as well as the first signal and the second signal.

In the method according to the invention, it is also possible, where appropriate, to acquire and/or record third image data of the contact sleeve and the cable using at least one third optical sensor, wherein the third image data of the contact sleeve and the cable are acquired by the third optical sensor and a third comparison of the third image data of the third optical sensor with third reference data can be carried out by the evaluation electronics.

Suitably, the third comparison may be checked for the presence of a predetermined third criterion, and then if the predetermined third criterion is met, a third signal may be output.

Detecting the third image data, performing the third comparison, checking the second criterion, and outputting the third signal are performed after the cable is crimped with the contact sleeve. This advantageously creates the possibility of optically monitoring the result of the performed crimping. As with the first and second signals described above, the third signal may suitably be an optical and/or acoustic signal and/or a control signal to bring the crimper into a predetermined mode of operation.

Like the first optical sensor and the second optical sensor, the third optical sensor may be a camera, wherein longitudinal image data of a side view of the cable crimped with the contact sleeve is suitably acquired by the third optical sensor, wherein the third image data is a single frame image and/or video sequence. Suitably two optical sensors may be used which acquire longitudinal image data of the cable crimped with the contact sleeve from different angles. A suitable third optical sensor may also be provided by means of a laser scanner.

In the method according to the invention described above, in order to perform a predetermined crimp, first a predetermined cable and a predetermined contact sleeve are selected and an appropriate predetermined crimp height is set. In the case of using a crimping machine having an insulation stripping device, it is necessary to provide an appropriate stripping of the cable.

The evaluation electronics can be simply programmed for the predetermined cable and the predetermined contact sleeve, wherein the first reference data and/or the second reference data and/or the third reference data can be selected by the evaluation electronics from a plurality of predetermined first reference data and/or predetermined second reference data and/or predetermined third reference data.

In this way, the crimping machine and the evaluation electronics can be configured particularly simply in order to reliably carry out the above-described method for ensuring and/or checking the crimp quality.

As described above, the first signal and/or the second signal and/or the third signal can trigger an idle state and/or a standby mode and/or an operating mode of the crimper, wherein this signal can also be displayed on the screen together with the acquired first image data and/or second image data and/or third image data, as appropriate. This provides a particularly simple operation of the crimper for the operator.

The first signal and/or the second signal and/or the third signal may further comprise corresponding first parameters and/or second parameters and/or third parameters, and/or the above-mentioned programming of the evaluation electronics for the predetermined cable and the predetermined contact sleeve may comprise corresponding fourth parameters and fifth parameters, wherein both of said parameters can advantageously be used in a further method of ensuring and/or checking the crimp quality.

In particular in a method for checking the quality of the crimping of a cable to a contact sleeve by using a sensor system and evaluation electronics for measuring the force and displacement of a device for actuating and/or applying pressure to a crimping apparatus, a first parameter and/or a second parameter and/or a third parameter and/or a fourth parameter and/or a fifth parameter can be taken into account by the evaluation electronics, wherein during the crimping a force/displacement curve is acquired and displayed on a screen, and a conclusion about the quality of the crimping is drawn from the course of the force/displacement curve (Verlauf).

In this method, in particular, a qualitative error analysis of the crimp can also be derived from a comparison of the force/displacement curve with a reference model. This makes it possible to identify the cause of errors, such as operating errors, lack of material and, in particular, technical malfunctions of the crimping apparatus used, and to correct this in a timely and cost-effective manner. In this case, qualitative error analysis may be performed by using the stored information regarding force/displacement curve evaluation of the erroneous crimp.

For example, qualitative analysis and in particular automated analysis can achieve the following results: using an oversized crimp blank and an oversized contact sleeve or damaging the strands of the cable when stripping the cable or when inserting the cable into the contact sleeve. Suitably and advantageously, the analysis results may be displayed on a screen together with the force/displacement curve.

In the case of the use of the first and/or second and/or third and/or fourth and/or fifth parameters, the above-described analysis can be carried out and/or checked particularly accurately and reliably, wherein it is particularly advantageous if material shortages and operating errors and/or technical malfunctions as a cause of defects can be distinguished.

The method according to the above-described embodiment of the invention is particularly suitable for monitoring the operating state of a crimping device of a crimping machine, which may preferably be a double mandrel crimping device, particularly preferably a four mandrel crimping device, and is particularly suitable for crimping a turned contact sleeve.

Accordingly, the invention also relates in particular to a crimping machine configured to carry out the method according to the invention described above, which crimping machine may in particular have a first optical sensor and/or a second optical sensor and/or at least one third optical sensor.

Particularly advantageously, the above-mentioned suitable crimping machine can be equipped with a screw conveyor for feeding a plurality of contact sleeves intended to be crimped with the cable, wherein suitably the screw conveyor has a feed rail by means of which the contact sleeves are fed to the crimping machine in a predetermined orientation.

The first optical sensor may advantageously be arranged at the supply rail to acquire first image data of the contact sleeve. By this arrangement, it is possible to simply achieve the acquisition of image data of the contact sleeve from a predetermined orientation, in particular of the outer and inner edges of the contact sleeve, wherein the inner edge of the contact sleeve crimped with the cable surrounds the core of the cable inserted into the contact sleeve.

The above-mentioned suitable crimpers may also have stripping means for stripping the insulation from the cable intended to be crimped with the contact sleeve, and may also have openings for manually feeding the cable for stripping the insulation and subsequent crimping of the cable by means of the crimping means.

The second optical sensor may advantageously be arranged at the opening mentioned above, wherein the optical sensor may also be pivotably arranged at the opening. With this arrangement, the second optical sensor can particularly reliably acquire the second image data of the inner edge of the insulating sheath of the single-core cable and/or the outer edge of the core of the cable provided with the insulating sheath and/or the outer edge of the insulating sheath of the cable at a desired resolution before peeling off the insulating sheath from the cable.

The operator manually feeds the cable to the crimping machine through the opening, and can simply feed the cable to acquire the second image data by means of the second optical sensor. The crimper may be configured such that the second optical sensor, after acquiring the second image data when performing the above-described method according to the invention and when a predetermined second criterion is present, releases and/or locks the opening to further feed the cable to the stripping means and subsequently crimp the contact sleeve. The opening is also used for manual removal of the cable crimped with the contact sleeve.

The above-mentioned suitable crimping machine may also have at least one third optical sensor for acquiring third image data of the cable crimped with the contact sleeve recorded from the longitudinal side. The third optical sensor may be suitably arranged at the above-mentioned opening of the crimping machine so that it acquires a single frame image and/or video sequence of the cable crimped with the contact sleeve. During manual removal of the cable crimped with the contact sleeve, image data can be simply acquired.

Suitably, two third optical sensors may be provided at the opening, which acquire longitudinal image data or side views of the cable crimped with the contact sleeve from different angles. A suitable third optical sensor may also be provided by means of a laser scanner.

A suitable crimping machine may also have a sensor system for measuring the force and displacement of the device for actuating and/or pressing the crimping device, as well as suitably configured electronic control/evaluation electronics and a screen, so that a force/displacement curve can be acquired during crimping and displayed on the screen, and conclusions about the quality of the crimping can be drawn from the course of the force/displacement curve.

The crimping device of the above crimping machine may in particular be a retracting type crimping device, preferably a double mandrel crimping device, particularly preferably a four mandrel crimping device, and further particularly suitable for crimping a cable with a turned contact sleeve.

The above-described crimper is suitable for carrying out the method according to the invention, wherein, where appropriate, a software program suitable for carrying out the method can be provided on the electronic control/evaluation electronics of the crimper. It is obvious that the electronic control/evaluation electronics have equipment suitable for this, for example a storage facility for recording data.

Suitable crimpers may also have an interface based on cable and/or wireless signal and/or data technology connections. The crimpers may be networked in this manner so that the first signal and/or the second signal and/or the third signal may be a predetermined message that may be sent to an external device. For example, such a message as described above can be sent to the mobile phone of a service technician, whereby the possibility of advantageously maintaining the crimping machine on the fly is provided.

Drawings

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail below. In the figure:

FIG. 1A shows a schematic view of a crimper according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1B shows an enlarged view of the opening of the crimper shown in FIG. 1A for inserting a cable to be crimped;

FIG. 1C shows another view of the opening shown in FIG. 1B;

FIG. 1D shows the cable and contact sleeve disengaged and crimped to one another;

FIG. 1E shows an enlarged view of the supply rail of the crimper of FIG. 1A with a contact sleeve to be crimped;

FIG. 2A shows an enlarged view of a partial cross section of a contact sleeve together with a first optical sensor;

FIG. 2B shows a top view of the opening of the contact sleeve;

FIG. 2C shows a top view of an opening of an additional contact sleeve;

fig. 2D shows an enlarged view of an insulated single core cable having a stranded wire comprising a plurality of single wires;

fig. 3A to 3E respectively show side views of a cable erroneously crimped with a contact sleeve;

FIG. 3F shows a side view of the cable properly crimped with the contact sleeve;

FIG. 4A shows a schematic view of the major components of the crimper of FIG. 1A having crimping apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4B shows an enlarged view of the crimping apparatus shown in FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5A illustrates a force/displacement curve of a crimp recorded with a crimper, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5B shows an enlarged view of the crimping device of FIG. 4A in a first position, along with the contact sleeve and cable arranged for desired crimping;

FIG. 5C shows the crimping apparatus shown in FIG. 5B with the contact sleeve and cable in a second position with a predetermined crimp height of the crimp;

FIG. 6A shows additional force/displacement curves for a crimp in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention along with two envelope curves for a reference model;

FIG. 6B shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the contact sleeve shown in FIG. 5B with the cable as intended for crimping; and

fig. 6C shows a micrograph of a cross section of the crimp of the contact sleeve and cable shown in fig. 5C.

These drawings contain a simplified schematic of a portion. To the extent that the same reference numerals are used for the same elements, they may also be used for different elements. Different views of the same element may be scaled differently. For purposes of simplicity and clarity, only the same or similar elements are labeled with a reference number in the drawings.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1A shows a schematic view of a crimper 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, which crimper 1 is adapted to crimp a cable 4 with a contact sleeve 3 as shown in fig. 1D. The crimping machine 1 is provided with a screw conveyor 13 for automatically feeding the contact sleeve 3 to be crimped, which screw conveyor 13 has a feed rail 130, by means of which screw conveyor 13 the contact sleeve 3 is fed to the crimping machine 1 in a predetermined orientation. The edges of the contact sleeves 3 arranged side by side in the supply rail 130 have an inner edge 31 and an outer edge 32, as can be seen from above.

Above the supply rail 130, a first optical sensor 61 for acquiring first image data is arranged in order to carry out the aforementioned method according to the invention for ensuring and/or checking the crimp quality. Fig. 1E shows an enlarged view of the supply rail 130 with the contact sleeve 3 arranged in the supply rail 130.

The inside of the crimping machine 1 is provided with an insulation peeling device (not shown in the figure) and a crimping device 2. The crimper 1 has an opening 120 for manual feeding of the cable 4 for stripping and subsequent crimping of the cable 4 with the contact sleeve 3. Fig. 1C schematically shows an enlarged view of the opening 120 with a visible area of the crimping apparatus 2 accessible via the opening 120. A second optical sensor 62, schematically shown in fig. 1B, is provided inside the crimper 1 at the opening 120 for acquiring second image data of the cable 4 to be crimped to perform the aforementioned method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The second optical sensor 62 is suitably pivotably arranged at the opening 120 such that second image data of the inner edge 41 of the insulating sheath of the cable 4 and/or the outer edge 41 of the core of the cable 4 provided with an insulating sheath and/or the outer edge 42 of the insulating sheath of the cable 4 can be acquired. To acquire the second image data, the operator holds the cable 4 in front of the second optical sensor 62 to feed the cable 4 as intended to the inside of the crimper 1.

The sensor 62 may be pivotably arranged at the opening 120, so that after performing the aforementioned method according to an embodiment of the invention, and when it is recognized that the predetermined second criterion is present, the opening 120 may be released by pivoting the second optical sensor 62 to further manually insert the cable 4 inside the crimper 1 to the skinning and crimping device 2.

Two third optical sensors 63 are also provided at the opening 120 of the crimper 1 for acquiring longitudinal third image data of the side view of the cable 4 crimped with the contact sleeve 3, wherein the third image data is a single frame image and/or a video sequence. The optical sensor 63 is arranged to acquire longitudinal image data of the cable 4 and the contact sleeve 3 from different angles. In the aforementioned method according to an embodiment of the invention, the third image data is acquired as a single frame image and/or video sequence by means of the optical sensor 63 when the contact sleeve 3 crimped with the cable 4 is manually removed.

The first optical sensor 61 and/or the second optical sensor 62 may in particular be a first camera and/or a second camera, and both third optical sensors 63 may be provided by means of a third camera and/or by means of a laser scanner.

Fig. 1D shows the cable 4 and the contact sleeve 3 respectively detached and crimped to each other. The contact sleeve 3 is a turned contact sleeve 3 and the cable 4 is a single core cable 4 having a stranded wire with a plurality of individual wires 40. The contact sleeve 3 and the cable 4 are particularly suitable for crimping with a crimping machine 1.

Fig. 2A shows an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the contact sleeve 3 together with the first optical sensor 61. Fig. 2B shows a top view of an opening of the contact sleeve 3 for inserting a stripped core of a cable 4 with a length L into the contact chamber of the contact sleeve 3, and fig. 2C shows a top view of an opening of a further contact sleeve 3. The contact sleeve 3 is a turned contact sleeve 3 suitable for crimping with a crimping machine 1.

The first optical sensor 61 is arranged with its optical axis parallel to the central axis of the contact sleeve 3, so that first image data of the circular inner edge 31 and the circular outer edge 32 of the contact sleeve 3 can be acquired particularly reliably with a desired resolution by the first optical sensor 61.

The circular inner edge 31 has a diameter D31 and the circular outer edge 32 has a diameter D32. By using a suitable software program of the aforementioned method according to the invention, the diameters D31 and D32 and the cross sections corresponding to the diameters D31 and D32 can be determined simply from the acquired first image data. In this way, with the method according to an embodiment of the invention, the dimensions of the contact sleeve 3 can be determined with the desired accuracy.

As already mentioned, the acquired first image data and the dimensions of the contact sleeve 3 determined from the acquired image data are particularly suitable for comparison with reference data of the intended contact sleeve 3, wherein these reference data may be the image data and/or the dimensions of the intended contact sleeve 3.

The opening of the contact sleeve 3 shown in fig. 2A and 2B is of funnel-shaped configuration for simple insertion of the core of the stripped cable 4.

Fig. 2D shows an enlarged view of the insulated single-core cable 4 with a litz wire comprising a plurality of individual wires 40. The insulation of the cable 4 has an outer edge 42 and an inner edge 41, wherein the inner edge 41 is the outer edge of a stranded wire.

The second optical sensor 62 arranged at the opening 120 of the crimping machine 1 is arranged at the opening 120 with its optical axis, so that the second image data of the circular outer edge 42 of the insulating sheath of the cable 4 and in particular of the circular inner edge 41 of the insulating sheath can be reliably acquired by the second optical sensor 62 at a desired resolution.

The circular inner edge 41 of the insulation sheath (i.e., the outer edge of the strand) has a diameter D41, while the circular outer edge 42 of the insulation sheath has a diameter D42. By using a suitable software program of the aforementioned method according to the invention, the diameters D41 and D42 and the cross sections corresponding to the diameters D41 and D42 can be determined simply from the acquired second image data. In this way, with the method according to an embodiment of the invention, the dimensions of the cable 4 and in particular the core of the cable 4 can be determined with the desired accuracy. In order to carry out the method according to the invention described above, the diameter D41 of the litz wire and the cross section corresponding thereto are particularly important.

The above-mentioned acquired second image data and the dimensions of the cable 4 determined from the image data are suitable for comparison with reference data of the predetermined cable 4 as described before, wherein the reference data may be the image data and/or the dimensions of the predetermined cable 4. In addition, in the method according to an embodiment of the invention described above, in particular the diameter D41 of the litz wire of the cable 4 and the cross section corresponding thereto can be compared with the diameter D31 of the contact sleeve 3 and the cross section corresponding thereto.

The comparison may also be checked for the presence of a predetermined criterion, and if the criterion is fulfilled, a predetermined signal may be output. Suitably, the predetermined criterion may be a predetermined deviation of the diameter D31 from the diameter D41, which occurs in case the cable 4 is not adapted to contact the bushing 3, after which the signal may for example trigger an idle state of the crimper 1.

Fig. 3A to 3E respectively show side views of the cable 4 erroneously crimped with the contact sleeve 3. The side views of fig. 3A to 3E respectively correspond to third longitudinal image data of the cable 4 crimped with the contact sleeve 3 acquired by the third optical sensor 63. The third image data are compared with predetermined third reference data, in particular image data of a predetermined section a with reference image data characterizing an error and/or a correct crimp.

In the erroneous crimping of fig. 3A, the single wire 40 of the twisted wires of the single core cable 4 cannot be inserted into the contact sleeve 3, but is located on the insulating sheath of the cable 4 and the contact sleeve 3, and also protrudes from the cable 4 and the contact sleeve 3. The reference image data of section a shown in fig. 3A, which characterizes the faulty crimp, is particularly advantageously suitable for identifying such faulty crimps.

In contrast to fig. 3A, fig. 3B to 3E each show only the parts of the contact sleeve 3 that are of particular interest for the previously described method according to an embodiment of the invention. In this method, too, the third optical sensor 63 suitably acquires only the part of the side view of the cable 4 crimped with the contact sleeve 3 that is of interest for comparison with the predetermined third reference data.

In the erroneous crimping of fig. 3B, a single wire 40 of the stranded wires of the single core cable 4 cannot be inserted into the contact sleeve 3, but is located on the insulating sheath of the cable 4. The reference image data of section a shown in fig. 3B is particularly advantageously suitable for identifying such a faulty crimp, wherein the reference image data of section a characterizes the faulty crimp.

In the erroneous crimping of fig. 3C, a single wire 40 of the stranded wires of the single core cable 4 cannot be inserted into the contact sleeve 3, but is located on the contact sleeve 3. The reference image data of section a shown in fig. 3C is particularly advantageously suitable for identifying such a faulty crimp, wherein the reference image data of section a characterizes the faulty crimp.

In the erroneous crimping of fig. 3D, the insulating sheath of the single core cable 4 is peeled off too long. The reference image data of section a shown in fig. 3D, which characterizes the faulty crimp, is particularly advantageously suitable for identifying such faulty crimps.

In the erroneous crimping of fig. 3E, the insulation sheath of the single core cable 4 is stripped too short. The reference image data of section a shown in fig. 3E, which characterizes the faulty crimp, is particularly advantageously suitable for identifying such faulty crimps. The crimped contact sleeve 3 shown in fig. 3B to 3E has an eyelet in which the litz wires of the cable 4 should be visible when the insulation sheath of the cable 4 is correctly stripped.

Fig. 3F shows the portion of interest of the cable 4 correctly crimped with the contact sleeve 3. The reference image data of section a shown in fig. 3F, which characterizes the correct crimp, is particularly advantageously suitable for identifying such correct crimps.

Fig. 4A shows a schematic diagram of the main components of a crimper 1 with a crimping device 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The crimping apparatus 2 is a compression-type crimping device, in particular a four-core crimping device, the crimping apparatus 2 of which has four pressing elements (presselements) 20, in particular for pressing together a stripped cable or a stranded wire of a stripped single-core cable 4 with a turned contact sleeve 3. The hold-down element 20 is suitably configured as a conical (zulaufende) mandrel 20.

For actuating the crimping device 2, the crimping machine 1 comprises a pneumatic pressure device with a cylinder 10 and a piston 11, which is operatively connected to the crimping device 2 via a lever 150. In order to set a predetermined crimping height by means of the adjusting spindle, a suitable adjusting device 12 is provided, which may have an adjustable stop for the lever 150.

When crimping is carried out by pressing in particular the turned contact sleeve 3 with the cable 4, the contact sleeve 3 with the litz wires of the cable 4 located therein are inserted into the crimping device 2 as intended, and the crimping device 2 is actuated and pressure is applied thereto by means of the pressure device. The lever 150 coupled to the crimping apparatus 2 is pivoted by the vertical movement of the pressure means and the vertical force F. The crimping apparatus 2 and the lever 150 are here constructed and arranged such that the mandrels 20 move away from or into their rest positions P0, P0, towards each other during pivoting, as described below with reference to fig. 1B. In this case, the tips of the mandrels 20 all lie on concentric circles, as described below with reference to fig. 5B and 5C.

The crimper 1 is suitably configured to check the quality of the crimping of a predetermined cable 4 with a predetermined contact sleeve 3, for which purpose there is a displacement sensor 15 and at least one force sensor 14. Suitably, the displacement sensor 15 may be a position emitter with a hall sensor and be arranged at the cylinder 10 of the pressure device. Suitably, the force sensor 14 may be a piezoelectric sensor 14 and arranged at the lever 150, and/or may be at least one piezoelectric sensor provided at the attachment of the cylinder 10. The piezoelectric sensors here each measure the strain or stress during the actuation of the lever 150 or the reaction force acting on the cylinder 10 of the pressure acting on the piston 11.

The sensor systems 15, 14 are connected to the evaluation electronics 5 in terms of signals and/or data. The evaluation electronics 5 can control a screen and can display on the screen the force/displacement curve G of the crimp recorded using the signals from the sensor systems 15, 14, together with other information. An example of the force/displacement curve G is described below with reference to fig. 5A and 6A.

As with the sensor systems 15, 14, the first optical sensor 61 and the second optical sensor 62 and the at least one third optical sensor 63 described with reference to fig. 1A are connected to the evaluation electronics 5 in terms of signal and/or data technology.

Fig. 4B shows an enlarged detail view of the crimping apparatus 2. For clarity, the force sensor 14 on the lever 150 is not shown in fig. 4B.

The crimping apparatus 2 has a cylindrical guide in which four mandrels 20 are arranged in a radially displaceable manner. The tips of the mandrels 20 are oriented toward each other. The lever 150 is disposed on the cylindrical guide in an axially pivotable or rotatable manner and has an inner contour which cooperates with a head of the spindle 20 projecting from the cylindrical guide.

When the lever 150 is pivoted, the tips of the spindles 20 move towards each other or away from each other in the direction of the axis of the cylindrical guide or the pivot axis of the lever 150. The tips of the mandrels 20 each lie on a concentric circle. During crimping, the contact sleeve 3 provided with the cable 4 is pressed in this way with the cable 4 by actuating the lever 150 along the axis of the cylindrical guide.

The crimping machine 1 with the above-described assembly is suitable for carrying out the aforementioned method according to an embodiment of the invention, wherein the crimping machine 1 further has a stripping device (not shown in fig. 4A) for stripping the cable 4 and a screw conveyor 13 for feeding the contact sleeve 3.

Fig. 5A shows a force/displacement curve G for crimping a contact sleeve 3 to a cable 4 by means of the crimper 1 shown in fig. 1A and 4A according to an embodiment of the present invention.

During crimping, the mandrels 20 of the crimping apparatus 2 are moved from their rest position P0 to further positions P to P1, wherein the tips of the mandrels 20 are moved towards each other and are each arranged on a concentric circle. In this case, the displacement X and the force F are measured by the sensor system 15, 14, which is denoted as a force/displacement curve G. With regard to the course of the force/displacement curve G and its analysis for evaluating the crimp quality, the positions P0, P, P1 each correspond to a specific characteristic position P of the mandrel 20 and each correspond to the measured displacement X of the sensor 15.

Fig. 5B shows an enlarged view of the crimping device 2 shown in fig. 4A in the rest position P0 together with the contact sleeve 3 and the cable 4 arranged as intended for crimping in the crimping device 2. The tip of the mandrel 20 of the crimping apparatus 2 is arranged here concentrically with the contact sleeve 3 and the cylindrical guide of the crimping apparatus 2.

The mandrel 20 is here transferred with a constant force F from position P0 to position P adjacent to position P0 in fig. 5A. Correspondingly, the course of the force/displacement curve G in the first region P0-P between the position P0 and the position P of the mandrel 20 is also constant, wherein the mandrel 20 of the crimping device 2 is in contact with the surface of the contact sleeve 3.

Fig. 6B shows an enlarged detail of fig. 5B compared to the cross section of the contact sleeve 3 as intended provided for crimping with the cable 4. In addition to the individual wires 40 of the stranded wire of the cable 4, the inner cavity of the contact sleeve 30 also has a cavity which is not occupied by the individual wires 40 of the stranded wire. The contact sleeve 3 is intact and its state corresponds to that of the contact sleeve 3 shown in fig. 5B in the crimping region P0-P of the force/displacement curve G.

Fig. 5C shows the mandrel 20 of the crimping apparatus 2 in a position P1 of the mandrel 20 corresponding to the position P1 of the force/displacement curve G, wherein the tip of the mandrel 20 is arranged on a circle whose diameter H corresponds to the set crimp height H.

With the mandrel 20 arranged at position P1, the strand completely fills the available space in the contact sleeve 3.

This state of the contact sleeve 3 and the litz wire is shown in fig. 6C in a micrograph of the contact sleeve 3 in the region P1, in which the individual wires 40 of the litz wire are not visible and no cavities are present except for the litz wire. Fig. 6C shows a micrograph of the crimp with the desired, predetermined quality, in which no cracks in the individual wires 40 or in the contact sleeve 3, which occur, for example, as a result of an undesired material deficiency, are visible.

Fig. 6A shows additional crimp force/displacement curves G, G3 and G4 along with two envelope curves GH suitable for a reference model to check crimp quality.

In fig. 6A, both envelope curves GH are indicated by dot-dash lines and define a tolerance range T. The force/displacement curve G shown in fig. 6A is represented by a solid line and its entire course from position P0 to position P1 of the mandrel 20 lies between the envelope curves GH and corresponds to the crimping of the correct contact sleeve 3 with the correct cable 4 with the desired predetermined quality.

The force/displacement curve G3 shown in fig. 6A is indicated by a dashed line and extends almost completely over the two envelope curves GH. The force/displacement curve G3 corresponds to the crimping of an excessively large contact sleeve 3, which is brought into contact and elastically deformed by the mandrel 20 of the crimping device 2 as early as before the position P1 provided for reaching the contact sleeve 3. Thus, the force curve F of the force/displacement curve G3 up to the position P2 is well above the tolerance range T.

During crimping with the force/displacement curve G3, information can be displayed on the screen of the crimper 1, in addition to the curves G3 and GH, that the crimp is of poor quality due to an oversize contact sleeve 3. In addition, the probability of the presence of the error can be calculated from the trend of the force/displacement curve G3 using the method described above and also displayed on the screen.

The force/displacement curve G4 in fig. 6A is also indicated by a dashed line and first extends within the tolerance range T specified by the two envelope curves GH. In contrast to the force/displacement curve G3, the force/displacement curve G4 corresponds to the correct crimping of the contact sleeve 3 to a too small cable 4 with too small a strand and/or too few individual wires 40. Due to too small a stranded wire 40 or too small a single wire 40, the force curve F is located below the correct force curve F, starting approximately from the position P3 of the mandrel 20 described above with reference to fig. 2A, and outside the tolerance range T specified by the two envelope curves GH.

During crimping using the force/displacement curve G4, information that the crimp is of poor quality due to the cable 4 being undersized (its litz wire having too few individual wires 40) can be displayed on the screen of the crimper 140 in addition to the curves G4 and GH. In addition, the probability of the presence of the error can be calculated from the trend of the force/displacement curve G4 using the method described above and also displayed on the screen.

In the method for checking the crimp quality described above with reference to fig. 5A and 6A, in which the force/displacement curves G, G3, G4 are recorded during crimping and displayed on a screen and conclusions are drawn about the crimp quality from the course of the force/displacement curve G, further first and/or second and/or third and/or fourth and/or fifth parameters can advantageously be taken into account for determining the tolerance range T, in particular for analyzing the force/displacement curve G, in particular for determining errors by the aforementioned method.

The first parameter and/or the second parameter and/or the third parameter and/or the fourth parameter and/or the fifth parameter are each preset suitably by the first signal and/or the second signal and/or the third signal and/or by the evaluation electronics programmed for the cable 4 and/or the predetermined contact sleeve. When the above-mentioned parameters are used, a particularly reliable and precise analysis of the force/displacement curve G is possible, in particular also the desired erroneous determination.

List of reference numerals

1 crimping machine

10 air cylinder

11 piston

12 adjustment device

120 opening

13 spiral conveying device

130 supply rail

14 force sensor

15 displacement sensor

150 lever

2 crimping device

20 pressing of elements, mandrels

3 contact sleeve

31 inner edge

32 outer edge

4 cable

40 single line

41 inner edge of insulating sheath, outer edge of twisted wire

42 outer edge of insulating skin

5 evaluation of electronic devices

61. 62, 63 optical sensor, camera

D31, D32, D41, D42 diameters

Part A

Length of L

Force F

Tolerance range of T

X, X (n) displacement

G. G3, G4, GH Curve

H crimp height

Position P0, P, P1